CEREDIGION politicians are calling on the Welsh Government to provide financial support to all agricultural shows to see them through to 2022.

A number of shows up and down the county were forced to cancel last year, starving farming communities of annual chances to meet acquaintances, denying traders a vital market and rural charities of fundraising activities and ultimately causing significant losses to the rural economy.

About seven million people attend agricultural and county shows across the UK every year, and numbers were growing before the pandemic, according to the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), the voice of the agricultural show industry.

In 2019, agricultural shows across the UK generated £128.6m of income, the ASAO figures show. But the mass cancellation of physical shows last year led to a £36.5m loss, while the impact on the wider economy was an estimated loss of £810m.

Some agriculture show organisers in Ceredigion have already announced cancellations of their 2021 events. These include: Aberystwyth County Show, Lampeter Stallion Show, Barley Saturday, and Llanilar Show.

With the possibility of further show cancellations this year, Elin Jones MS and Ben Lake MP have called on the Welsh Government to provide financial support to all agricultural shows to seem them through to 2022.

Elin Jones MS said: “For many farming families in Ceredigion, the agricultural show season is the highlight of the year. Every agricultural show plays an important part in promoting our nation’s rural sector, in addition to the rich array of traditions and history associated with rural Wales.

“Whilst virtual agricultural shows went some way to filling the void left by the cancellations in 2020, nothing replaces the buzz of live outdoor shows. They give opportunities for communities to come together and provide a vital hub for the farming and rural community to meet, socialise and conduct business.”

Ben Lake MP added: “Agricultural shows and societies are a crucial feature of the annual calendar for most rural communities, showcasing the heritage of key elements of farming and rural life in Ceredigion.

“With the possibility of further show cancellations in 2021, we believe it is timely for the Welsh Government to consider providing a one-off grant payment to all agricultural shows to ensure that they are able to see this pandemic through.”A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: “We recognise agricultural shows play a hugely important role in the cultural life of rural communities, and bring significant economic benefits to those communities in which they are held. “In the spring of 2020, Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, commissioned a Resilience Review of Agricultural Shows in Wales, with a number of recommendations made to support shows during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. “In November last year, the Minister provided the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society with £200,000 in support of Wales’ largest agricultural event, the Royal Welsh Show. “We continue to work with show organisers to support them, and will make further announcements on progress against the recommendations from the Resilience Review in due course.”